Humanitext Reader

Plutarch · Life of Publicola §11.1-11.4

Poplicola's Replenishment of the Senate and Popular Laws

Passage 11 of 23 · Greek

Summary

During his period of sole rule, Poplicola fills the vacancies in the senate and enacts various democratic laws, including the right of appeal to the people, prevention of tyranny, and relief for the poor.

§11.1ὑπατείαν μὲν γὰρ ἔδωκε μετιέναι καὶ παραγγέλλειν τοῖς βουλομένοις· πρὸ δὲ τῆς καταστάσεως τοῦ συνάρχοντος οὐκ εἰδὼς τὸν γενησόμενον, ἀλλὰ δεδιὼς ἀντίπραξιν ὑπὸ φθόνου τινὸς ἢ ἀγνοίας, ἐχρήσατο τῇ μοναρχίᾳ πρὸς τὰ κάλλιστα καὶ μέγιστα τῶν πολιτευμάτων, πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ἀνεπλήρωσε τὴν βουλὴν ὀλιγανδροῦσαν ἐτεθνήκεσαν γὰρ οἱ μὲν ὑπὸ Ταρκυνίου πρότερον, οἱ δὲ ἔναγχος ἐν τῇ μάχῃ.
For he allowed those who wished to sue and canvass for the consulship; but before the appointment of his colleague, not knowing who he would be, but fearing opposition from some envy or ignorance, he used his sole rule for the finest and greatest of his political measures. For first, he filled up the senate, which was scantily manned; for some had been put to death by Tarquin before, and others recently in the battle.
§11.2τοὺς δʼ ἐγγραφέντας ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ λέγουσιν ἑκατὸν καὶ ἑξήκοντα τέσσαρας γενέσθαι.
And those registered by him are said to have been one hundred and sixty-four.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα νόμους ἔγραψεν, ὧν μάλιστα μὲν ἰσχυροὺς ἐποίησε τοὺς πολλοὺς ὁ τὸν δῆμον ἀπὸ τῶν ὑπάτων τῷ φεύγοντι δίκην ἐπικαλεῖσθαι διδούς· δεύτερος ὁ τοὺς ἀρχὴν ἀναλαβόντας, ἣν ὁ δῆμος οὐκ ἔδωκεν, ἀποθνῄσκειν κελεύων· §11.3τρίτος δὲ μετὰ τούτους, ὃς ἐβοήθησε τοῖς πένησιν, ᾧ τάτελη τῶν πολιτῶν ἀφεῖλε καὶ προθυμότερον ἅπτεσθαι τῶν ἐργασιῶν ἐποίησεν ἅπαντας.
After this, he wrote laws, of which the one giving the right to a defendant to appeal to the people from the consuls made the multitude especially strong; the second was the one ordering those who assumed an office which the people did not give, to be put to death; and the third after these, which helped the poor, by which he removed the taxes of the citizens and made all of them more eager to engage in their occupations.
ὁ δὲ γραφεὶς κατὰ τῶν ἀπειθούντων τοῖς ὑπάτοις οὐχ ἧττον ἔδοξε δημοτικὸς εἶναι, καὶ πρὸς τῶν πολλῶν μᾶλλον ἢ δυνατῶν γεγράφθαι.
And the one written against those who disobeyed the consuls seemed to be no less popular, and to have been written in favor of the multitude rather than the powerful.
ζημίαν γὰρ ἀπειθείας ἔταξε βοῶν πέντε καὶ δυεῖν προβάτων ἀξίαν.
For he fixed the penalty for disobedience at the value of five oxen and two sheep.
§11.4ἦν δὲ τιμὴ προβάτου μὲν ὀβολοὶ δέκα, βοὸς δὲ ἑκατόν, οὔπω νομίσματι χρωμένων πολλῷ τότε Ῥωμαίων, ἀλλὰ προβατείαις καὶ κτηνοτροφίαις εὐθηνούντων.
Now the value of a sheep was ten obols, and of an ox a hundred, the Romans at that time not yet using much coinage, but abounding in flocks and herds.
διὸ καὶ τὰς οὐσίας ἄχρι νῦν ἀπὸ τῶν προβάτων πεκούλια καλοῦσι, καὶ τῶν νομισμάτων τοῖς παλαιοτάτοις βοῦν ἐπεχάραττον ἢ πρόβατον ἢ σῦν.
Wherefore even to this day they call their estates 'peculia', from the sheep, and on the oldest of their coins they used to stamp an ox, a sheep, or a pig.
ἐτίθεντο δὲ καὶ παισὶν αὑτῶν Συΐλλους καὶ Βουβούλκους καὶ Καπραρίους ὀνόματα καὶ Πορκίους· κάπρας μὲν τὰς αἶγας, πόρκους δὲ τοὺς χοίρους ὀνομάζοντες.
And they also gave their children the names of Suillius, Bubulcus, Caprarius, and Porcius; calling goats 'caprae', and pigs 'porci'.

Notes

  1. 11.1μετιέναι καὶ παραγγέλλειν — The two infinitives μετιέναι ('to pursue [an office]') and παραγγέλλειν ('to announce candidacy / canvass') both function as the objects of ἔδωκε ('he allowed').
  2. 11.2ὧν μάλιστα μὲν ἰσχυροὺς ἐποίησε τοὺς πολλοὺς ὁ τὸν δῆμον ἀπὸ τῶν ὑπάτων τῷ φεύγοντι δίκην ἐπικαλεῖσθαι διδούς — The relative pronoun ὧν refers back to the antecedent νόμους. Within the relative clause, the subject is the substantivized participle phrase ὁ... διδούς ('the one giving...'), the verb is ἐποίησε, and τοὺς πολλοὺς ('the multitude') is the direct object, with ἰσχυρούς ('strong') functioning as the object complement.
  3. 11.2τῷ φεύγοντι δίκην — The present participle φεύγων in a legal context means 'to be a defendant' or 'to be prosecuted,' and here with δίκην it designates 'the one under prosecution' or 'the defendant.' It is in the dative case as the indirect object of διδούς ('giving to...').
  4. 11.4οὔπω νομίσματι χρωμένων πολλῷ τότε Ῥωμαίων — A genitive absolute construction expressing cause, where Ῥωμαίων is the subject and the present participle χρωμένων is the predicate. πολλῷ νομίσματι ('much coinage') functions as the object of χράομαι, which governs the dative case.

Cite this passage

Plutarch, Life of Publicola §11.1-11.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0007.tlg008.humanitext-grc2:11.1-11.4

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